Or Worse
by Omnicat
Summary: Hei/Pai siblingry in South America. Pai wakes up in her brother's arms. ..."You're lucky to have him. Do you realise that, Pai?"...


**Title:** Or Worse

**Author:** Omnicat v''v

**Rating:** K

**Genre:** General. Contractors don't do Angst, do they?

**Spoilers & Desirable Foreknowledge:** Up to episode 23.

**Warnings:** None.

**Pairings:** Hints of Amber x Hei.

**Soundtrack:** 'Who Makes You Feel', by Dido. It seems fitting for the entire series, actually.

**Disclaimer:** I hold no rights to Darker Than Black. And you should probably be glad about that, because I don't think I could ever have made it as awesome a show as it is!

**Summary:** One–shot. Takes place in South–America. ..."You're lucky to have him. Do you realise that, Pai?"... Pai wakes up in her brother's arms.

**Author's Note:** This fic was inspired by episode 23. Sheer beauty, that ep. This is set a while _before_ the scene in which Pai fell asleep in the middle of the lake. Enjoy your reading.

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**Or Worse**

"He fell asleep?"

The voice, though barely intelligible, made Pai realise she was awake. And from that, she deducted that she had finished her payment; her contract-induced sleep was nigh-impenetrable, and dreamless.

"Some guard he is. Anyone could have ambushed them." the voice went on, coming closer.

_Havoc,_ Pai realised.

It was a pity she did. She loved to sleep. She knew many other Contractors felt annoyed or disgusted by their remuneration, but Pai found in it a source of... comfort.

"You can't blame him. He hasn't had much sleep himself, lately."

_Amber._

Pai groaned. Did she really have to wake up?

In this place, where showing weakness _(like this)_ meant getting murdered in her bed _(or worse)_, her brother's presence made her want to... _enjoy_ the opportunities her remuneration brought. Though she couldn't quite relate to the sentiment, she assumed it was ironic that the contract that made their world dangerous was also to thank for this safe way to avoid the greatest danger of all.

"What timing these two have." Amber said teasingly. "Look, Pai's waking up, just when someone has finally come to keep her safe while she pays her remuneration."

Pai shifted somewhat and yawned into her brother's chest, feeling his warm arms around her. She was propped up against him, between his drawn up legs. His head had sagged to the side until his cheek rested atop of her hair. The night had cooled since she had fallen asleep, but here, with him, she felt warm. Content.

"Shh, Pai. Don't wake him."

Pai opened her eyes. Amber leaned over them, hands on her knees, and smiled at Pai. Pai smiled back. Havoc was standing a few feet away from them. Her pale eyes, huge in her hollow face, held a peculiar expression. Almost as if she had never seen either of them asleep before.

"I'm going to check the perimeter for traps." Havoc said, and turned away. "See if nobody's been skulking around this place before we found you."

Amber stared after her for a moment before turning to Pai and her brother. "Are the both of you okay?"

They had been when Pai went to sleep. And seeing as they were both still breathing, there was no reason to assume otherwise. He could sleep if he wanted. It would be fair; she did it too, after all. Pai knew her brother liked fairness - no, _needed_ it; Contractors 'liked', humans _needed_. It was so confusing.

"We're fine, thanks."

Pai knew that no matter what, her brother would hold her as she slept, even if he could not help her. It was another thing that confused her about her brother, but this confusion was a pleasant one. It made her feel tingly inside. She knew her brother would always be there for her.

Though... always?

Pai's smile faltered.

"What happened? One minute you two were to my and Havoc's left, the next you were gone."

Pai relayed the events that had led to their separation to Amber. While she talked, she extricated herself from her brother's hold, careful as not to wake him. Knowing from experience how uncomfortable it was to sleep with your neck bent, she gently pushed his head into a less awkward angle.

When Pai had finished her report, Amber nodded and shifted her attention to her brother. Surprisingly, her eyes widened in - was it surprise or shock?

"Are those -"

Looking taken aback, the older woman reached out to his face, letting the tips of her fingers hover a hair's breadth from his skin. Pai turned her head to look. By the scant light of the stars it was hard to see them, but now that Amber had pointed it out, Pai wondered how she could not have noticed. Tears had cut tracks of clean skin through the grime on her brother's face.

"You're lucky to have him. Do you realise that, Pai?" Amber said softly.

Murdered in her bed. _Or worse._

"My remuneration would have gotten me killed long ago if it wasn't for him." Pai said, no longer feeling warm and peaceful.

"That's not what I meant."

Amber's voice was low and faint, but there was an intensity behind it that belied her normally light-hearted demeanour. The touch she had been holding back finally happened. A hard, uncomfortable ball formed in Pai's chest as she watched Amber cup her brother's cheek, run the back of her fingers along his jaw, trace the narrow lines of pure skin downward from the corners of his eyes. She had never seen such tenderness, such longing and affection on the face of another Contractor.

Pai leaned her head back against her sleeping brother's shoulder, relaxing the muscles she had tensed, and some that had done so on their own accord, without her noticing. She tilted her head upwards and noticed that despite the marks on his face, he looked peaceful in sleep.

"Yeah." she breathed. "I'm lucky, alright."

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**PSAN:** There you go. I hope you enjoyed. Please review to let me know!


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